A Droplet in an Ocean
by ShadowSpirits
Summary: (One-shot) Stress and being outcasted can be the worse combination in life. When giving an option, which is that better choice for this boy? Life, or death?


Very random, just kind of popped right into my mind. Will be a short _one-shot_. 

Warnings: Major OOC (like I care), and major angst. Maybe some confusion.

I don't feel like explaining anything, it ruins it too much if I try. Figure it out yourself XD

Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never will. I'm sorry my loyal fans! *dramatic cry*

"'Cause I'm on the outside, I'm looking in. I can see through you see your true colors. 'Cause inside you're ugly, ugly like me, I can see through you see to the real you." -Outside: _Staind_

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A Droplet in an Ocean

"What do you want from me?!"

Eyes clenched shut, tears falling to the ground. Arms clenched around a slender, shaking body. Only few stared over in the direction of the boy who tried to shake himself of the world. His hair grazed his forehead and hung before his eyes after falling out from behind his ears. Never could keep in that tame. Not in this condition.

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Stop slacking!

"W-What…do…y-you want….f-f-f…." the boy choked down his voice, stumbling down the bustling street. He wanted to make it all go away…completely this time. Not one of those false senses of hope that it'd be gone, that the next day he could be normal. 

He didn't want to act anymore. 

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Watch where you're - 

Lavender eyes snapped open as the boy's body connected with some business man, who promptly huffed and glared down at him. "And I thought that teens in general knew how to walk," the man sneered.

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- going. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he coughed out to everyone, to himself and for himself. His body slipped through the crowd and he tripped on one or two beer cans that had littered the streets, twisting around so his side met a side wall of some pet store. He jumped back, the display window filled with a case of birds, squawking loudly at him. 

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Insignificant little…quit being so damn childish!

"Leave me alone!!" the boy shouted, fists clenching at the sides of his tan-fabric styled pants. "Stop it, stop it….JUST STOP TALKING TO ME!" he cried out, hands rising to cling into platinum blonde hair, pulling at it until he could feel the pain in his skull. In annoyance something became irked within his mind, causing an after effect of the boy's head searing in a fiery pain. He stumbled back into the flowing crowd, but was heading in the wrong direction and therefore felt like a target - being pushed around by many passing people. His lavender eyes clouded at the pain and he let out a weak sob, "I'm s-sorry…s-stop…Mariku, gods please stop…"

A smug image crossed his mind, but the pain at least subsided.

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Why do you stay here, my dear light?

Malik cringed at the tone of voice his darker soul used…unfaithful. A lie. He gave up trying to push through the busy crowd, hitting into one other person before sinking to his knees, palms drifting down to push against the cold surface of the ground. People walked by him, ignoring his existence completely.

Just like everyone.

The only ones who paid attention to him in a caring sense were Rishid and Isis…

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Oh, knock it off already and get up.

"You don't get it," Malik's voice wavered, his fingers tightening into the concrete, his fingertips scraping until the blood beneath his skin started to find small cracks to show through. "You just don't bloody get it…"

His darker half scoffed somewhere in the back of his mind and Malik let out a growl, left hand curling into a fist and lifting very slightly before punching back at the concrete, knuckles scraping painfully, but he ignored it and smiled. Pain. He was liking the pain, and he showed this by laughing bitterly, pushing himself so he was leaning back. At least there were less people around by far, the rush hour ending. They all were home now, with friends and family who cared for one another, or even just _somewhere_ peaceful, eating dinner simply. 

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What are you _laughing about?_

Malik continued in fits of laughter, holding his body up by his arms outstretched behind him, "I love it. Just look at it! Look at it…glistening…" the boy held up a hand near his face, face twisting in a joy filled smile at the blood he caused on his hand. He laughed again when a very faint wave of concern flushed through him from his darker half. "Oh, come now, Mariku. What are you so worried for? I get the liking from you. _All_ of it. Don't act like I can't sense it," he forced himself to stand and stepped over to glance at a window. Nice small book store.

Mariku's reflection looked back at him angrily, eyes glaring death and mouth twitching.

"All your glorious suffering… Is that it? You assume that since you suffered from being awaken in _my _hatred that you can force pain on me? Well, go ahead then," Malik chuckled, opening his arms welcomingly. The image in the window smirked.

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Foolish and haughty like always, aren't we now, hikari?

Malik was thinking the other would just leave him be now, but he suddenly regretting his mocking when a flash of power trickled over his dark half's image. He quickly turned away, as if moving from the window would get him away from the other, but he could feel Mariku's ghastly form towering over him. 

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And here I was, all set to show you mercy…

Like some puddle, a thick, dark violet oil puddled around him, raising up around his ankles and binding him to the ground. At his attempt to try and escape it, he collapsed, hands then becoming entangled in the mire. He was shaking…again. His own pain had poisoned his mind and now it would be someone else causing him pain…and that wasn't satisfying to him. Malik forced his eyes shut, the dark-toned material crawling further up his body.

"I'm sorry. M-Mariku…I…I was out of line, I know. I'm sorry…please….._please_ don't hurt me…."

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Whether you get hurt or not, isn't my decision.

The lighter of the two froze. He wasn't… No! No, no…his yami wouldn't be that, no matter how angry he was! Not after the last time. His dark half may be evil and inconsiderate, but he does show _some _mercy at times, or at least he has for Malik! Perhaps it was pity…still…

The thick material shifted colors, mixing with the violet was a cobalt and navy shade. Malik couldn't keep his eyes shut and he had to look, eyes watering once he did and quickly he began to look all around him, trying to find where the specter-like form his yami took on was. "M-Mariku…?"

Not over that way…

Or that way…

Or even there…

A sob leaked from Malik's lips, unable to hold it in. The colored gel of some sort tugged around his back and pulled him flush the concrete, blackness seeping into his hair. "Please…you can't…..of all things…y-you said you wouldn't! Not again…y-you promised…."

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Promises don't last forever, boy. 

"They're supposed to!"

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Really now? But, I learned from you.

There was a tint of hurt coming from the other that caused Malik to freeze completely. "What are you talking about….?"

Mariku's transparent self was now in the hikari's sight, arms crossed and eyes sharply narrowed.

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You said, "Don't worry, I promise I won't ever bring up your past. Ever." How old were you when you stated that? Ten, I presume.

The yami snorted.

"B-But…give me one more chance!" even as he begged, he knew it was too late and slumped, the thick oil transforming into a gas, mixing together all around Malik, magic bursting free. Malik shook his head as much as he could. He hated this world and everything in it.

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Have fun in the Shadow Realm - and this time I'm not saving your sorry ass.

The boy screamed, everything flipping around on him, his body surrounded by darkness, trapped in some sort of abyss as his soul tore in half, all connections to his other splitting with no hope of repair. Malik's scream continued until he was fully not in the realm he wanted to be, instead he was stuck, floating in his pool of dark air. He couldn't even make it to the Shadow Realm's main part…a part he could wander through, the part he was at last time he was here…the last time his yami was greatly angry.

But that time his other saved him when the creatures of the realm were finding him more and more, creeping for him, playing him like a little toy human puppet. A cat with a new ball of string, and he had been the string…in the center of an entire pack of cats. 

Malik curled at the memory, mind tensing and trying to block it out.

All he's ever had was a hopeless life, wandering around with little purpose. He was forced to do something at a young age, that little by little formed that dark spot in his soul which went over the top once he received the markings on his back. Still, there had been nothing at the time to free the darkness - until Rishid had received whippings from Malik's father. …That had been all too much.

…And the Sennen Rod was perfectly set for him, calling to him, beckoning for it to be in his grasp.

Thus the birth of Mariku.

Malik gave a shaky sigh, his body turning and rotating through the darkness in a gentle rock. It…wasn't so bad, but to live the rest of his life like so? No…he couldn't do it. He didn't even want to be living in the _first _place! But no one knew that…He was distant from anyone in Domino anyway, even his own _sister _seemed to abandon him. They were all afraid. Afraid that they couldn't protect themselves and each other, even those they didn't know. …They were all afraid of Malik.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered lowly. He did a lot to all of them…but who can blame him? He went through a lot in the past, and surprisingly enough Mariku endured most of it. He…took on Malik's pain, embraced it as his own horrid past, present, and future. "I didn't mean….to break my promise…" his hands clung desperately to his legs, mainly to the kneecaps. 

The area burned with a bright light and Malik quickly uncurled in alertness, shielding his eyes as best as possible. The light broke away after a few seconds, spreading off to glow as a large gray sphere to his left side, to his right was a very dark sphere, a cold air coming from it. Malik didn't quite understand as he glanced between the two.

Light: Life.

Dark: Death.

"He gave me mercy…he…he's letting me choose…" Malik was almost overjoyed at the realization. He was allowed to chose his fate! Life or death. ….Life….or…..death…. Malik shook his head and stared directly up at the rest of the air around that took on the true nature of the Shadow Realm. Carefully, he pulled in a deep breath, releasing it in thought.

"Thank you."

There seemed to be a brief moment where he could feel Mariku a part of his soul again, considering the obvious answer. Malik smiled, a gate to the Earthly realm cracking open as Mariku's soul reattached into his. Understanding ran through the two minds of hikari and yami.

They chose the sphere of death.

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Wow…can't believe I wrote that. Take it however you wish, I just wanted a straight through angst story and I think I got that off my chest. *Shrug* You could take it as yaoi for all I care, but I didn't feel like straight out labeling it "yaoi" for once, once again it's that whole "losing the effect" thing. Yeah, whatever, I'm weird. 

Came out longer than I thought it would. 


End file.
